Cigar-moistener.



no. masie.

UNITED STATES rammed novemter 10, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN F. BROWN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE A. MORRIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CIGAR-MOISTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,819, dated November 10, 1903.

Application filed April 29, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN F. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Oigar-Moisteners, (Case No. 2,) of which the following is afull, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to moisteners for cigarboxes, and more particularly to a form of moistener which may be cheaply manufactured and which may be readily attached to a cigar-box in which cigars are supplied to the trade.

I am well aware that cigar-nioisteners have heretofore been devised to be placed in showcases from which cigars are sold; and I am aware that elaborate cases have been constructed for the reception of acigarebox in which cigars are sold, these cases in some instances being provided with 'a perforated metal lining throughout, between the walls of the case and the walls of the metal lining there being interposed suitable pads of absorbent material. As distinguished from these devices of the prior art, which are necessarily costly in construction and more or less limited in their use, my invention provides a simple and efficient cigar-moistener which on account of its cheapness in manufacture may be supplied by a dealer with each box of cigars sold or, indeed, may be distributed as an advertisement for a brand of cigars.

A desirable form of my invention comprises asheet-metal holdercomprisinga baseplate and upwardly and inwardly projecting lips adapted to retain in position upon the base-plate a pad of suitable absorbent material, such as blotting-paper or felt. If desired, the sheet-metal frame may be perforated to provide an increased area for the evaporation of water in which the pad has been dipped. There is also provided means whereby the moistener may be detachably secured to the lid of a cigar-box, whereby it may be readily attached or removed, as desired. A preferable means of fastening the moistener in place consists in the provision Serial No. 154,768. No model.)

of one or more small tacks, such as curtaintacks, which may be soldered to the under side of the base-plate. A pressure on the upper side of the moistener serves to drive the tacks into the cigar-box lid, thereby retaining the moistener in place. The form of the moistene r is desirably such thatthe re-- Figure 1 illustrates the method of applying my improved moistener to a box of cigars. Fig. 2 is a top view of my improved device. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a crosssectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

I have illustrated a cigar-box 6, containing the cigars 7 7, to the lid 8 of which my improved moistener is fastened in the manner shown. It will be seen that two cigars have been removed from the upper layerin the box, thereby affordinga space into which the moistener projects upon closing the lid.

The moistener itself may desirably comprise a bottom plate 9, perforated with small openings 10 10. Upon the bottom plate is placed the pad 11, of suitable ab'sorbentmaterial, such as blotting-paper, this pad being retained in position by the upwardly and inwardly extending lips 12 12. The pad 11 is desirably provided with an advertisinglegend 13, such as that shown in Fig. 2. Upon the lower side of the bottom plate 9 are soldered the curtain-tacks 14 lag-which, in Figs. 4 and 5, are shown embedded in the material of the cigar-boxlid 8. The heads of the tacks'when the moistener is in position on the lid of a box provide for a small air-space between the lower side of the lid and the bottom plate 9, whereby the circulation of air through this space may cause the evaporation of water through the perforations 10 10.

Such a moistener as I have herein described may on account of its cheapness in manufacture and general utility be distributed as an advertisement for a particular brand of cigars. The person receiving such a moistener upon opening a fresh box of cigars and removing two or three cigars from the box, as is customary, dips the moistener into a glass of water or otherwise saturates the pad with water and by a pressure on the top of the moisteuer embeds the points of the tacks within the cigar-box lid, whereby the moistener is detachably secured in position. The

moistener is desirably fastened to the lid in such a position that upon the closure of the lid the moistener will occupy the space of the cigars which have already been removed from the upper layer in the box. Upon having used all of the cigars in the box the moistener may be readily removed and similarly placed in a fresh box of cigars.

The perforations-shown in the accompanying drawings may, of course, be omitted, if desired, and other means of fastening the moistener in place will at once suggest themselves. Furthermore, I do not wish to limit myself to the. precise disclosure herein set forth, for many modifications will at once appear to those skilled in the art, which modifications will not depart from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a metal plate, of a pad of suitable absorbent material bearing an advertising legend, retained in position thereon, and a plurality of tacks soldered to the under side of said plate for detachably securing said plate to the interior of the lid of a cigar-box, the pad being of such size and shape as to fit approximately the space occupied by two adjacent cigars, the heads of the tacks serving to maintain an air-space between the plate and the lid of the box.

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination witha metal plate, of a pad of suitable absorbent material, upwardly and inwardly extending lips on said plate adapted to retain said pad in position thereon, and a plurality of tacks secured to the under side of said plate for detachably securing said plate to the interior of a cigar-box, the heads of said tacks serving to maintain an air-space between said plate and the lid of the box.

3. In a cigar-box moistener, the combination with a perforated metal plate, ofa pad of blotting material bearing an advertising legend, upwardly and inwardly extending lips adapted to retain said pad in position on said plate, and a plurality of tacks soldered to the under side of said plate for securing said plate to the interior of the lid of acigarbox, the moistener being of such size and shape as to fit approximately the space occupied by two adjacent cigars, the heads of said tacks serving to maintain an airspace between said plate and the lid of the box.

4:. In a cigar-moistener the combination with a pad-holder 9, formed of sheet metal and having upwardly and inwardly extending side flanges 12 12 to form ways, of a pad ll of absorbent material adapted to he slid in said ways to be held by the holder, perforations through the back of the holder, and tacks soldered to the back of the pad-holder whereby the holder may be secured to the lid of a cigar-box, the heads of the tacks serving to maintain an air-space between the back of 'the holder and the lid of the box, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 27th day of April, A. D. 1003.

EDYVIN F. BROWVN.

\Vitnesses:

LYNN A. WILLIAMS, HARVEY L. HANSON. 

